“OH MERDE,” SENNA uttered, a salient hiss reverberated throughout the cramped interior as Senna adjusted her leg so it was spilling over the edge of the bed. Despite having numerous visitors to assure her; her mother, her sister, Eduardo, Hixson and Tess, time still crept by at a devastatingly gradual pace, as if she could nestle herself within the confines of this hospital and never leave. But she couldn’t and furthermore, she wouldn’t. Her bustling nature, though it didn’t quite reflect that of a metropolitan city, kept the wheels in her head churning, but there were only so many times Senna could ask her friends and family to stay and entertain her. Her mother had brought her guitar, but every time she decided to play, lithe fingers hovered above the strings in a quivering motion. So she promptly gave in. A League of Their Own was playing in the background but Senna had lost interest as she pushed her peas around on her plate. The doctor said it wouldn’t be too long since the injury wasn’t fatal and for that, Senna supposed she was grateful, as much as she detested resided here. When she heard a knock on her door, Senna quirked an eyebrow, knowing Sarah, as she came to learn the nurse’s name in a drug-induced matter, wouldn’t have knocked, that with her gregarious nature, a certain charm to her that just wanted to heal people, so Senna pondered who it could be. Her brain scanned through all the possibilities, her mother? No, she said she was going back to Senna’s to make some dinner since she too, couldn’t stand cafeteria food. Noelle? No, she was at her physical therapist. Finally, Senna’s mind, clouded with painkillers gave up. “Come in,” she beckoned, in a hoarse voice, her hand abruptly reaching for the water. She squinted, almost as if the figure was positioned miles away, and in fact, her mind was not playing tricks on her. It was Rebecca Jenner. Senna recollected the last conversation she had with Tess, an almost sort of guilt washing over her, but she realized, she had no quarrels with the woman and refused to be dragged in the middle of anything that didn’t directly affect her. Besides, she didn’t have to be best friends with the woman, but being cordial was a must, especially since it seemed Rebecca was doing a duty, a well picked at hospital plate in one hand. “In the flesh!” Senna said, her tone resounding chipper. She did her best not to play the part of a wounded puppy. “Don’t tell me you’re playing candy-striper.”
She searched Senna’s face for a hint of recognition. The women didn’t know each other well, but they did know each other well enough for to be odd to not make conversation in a situation such as this. Luckily for Rebecca, small talk was a specialty of hers. It hadn’t always been, but nowadays she found she genuinely cared about how people were, and what the details of their lives were like. It interested her for some unknown reason, so she wasn’t overwhelmed to approach the other woman’s bedside and lean against it. She chuckled at her words, “Why shouldn’t I tell you that? It’s the truth. You’re gonna shame me for volunteering now, are you?” She pauses as an unpleasant thought settles on her mind.
She had made a point not to think about the entire evening of the Halloween party. It brought so much distress to her even to imagine what she was wearing. She grips the bedside for stability, forcing the thoughts from her mind. The memories of the rising panic as the door clicked into a locked state. The words falling from Tess’ lips so cruelly. Her own wailing, throat aching as she screamed to get out of the room to her children and her husband, to no avail. She swallows now, closing her eyes just briefly, before she blinks them open and wills a smile to return to her features. “You look well, and I’m not just saying that. Are you... May I ask if you’ve heard if it is expected to be a full recovery?”
